Feb 25, 2013—Each year, the president of the United States delivers a State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. These speeches provide laundry lists of things the office holder would like to get done, but will most likely never accomplish. But I watch every year, to see what the president thinks is important.

This year, President Barack Obama discussed the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute that his administration created in Youngstown, Ohio. "A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3-D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything," he stated. President Obama announced that his administration was launching three more such institutes, and he called on Congress to allocate funding for 15 additional institutes at a cost of $1 billion. These hubs, he explained, would be places "where businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs."

These institutes might be a good idea, but here is what annoys me. One of the most important changes that will take place in the manufacturing sector during the next 20 years will be the use of radio frequency identification, vision technologies, robotics and other technologies to reduce waste and costs, as well as generate massive increases in productivity. These changes will be as profound, in my view, as those wrought by the introduction of computers in offices.

Unlike the Internet, which emerged from U.S. government-sponsored initiatives—notably Darpanet—RFID is not being nurtured by the U.S. government. And unlike the Internet, which was driven largely by U.S. innovation, RFID is an open field, with companies worldwide competing for a major stake in the market. The U.S. government could still help nurture RFID companies in the United States. Unfortunately, no one in the Obama administration can spell "RFID," or seems to understand what the technology is and how it can benefit manufacturers. This is ironic, given that the DOD is one of the largest users of RFID technology in the world (see DOD's RFID Efforts Are Winning the War on Inefficiencies), while the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to RFID-track equipment and supplies at all its medical centers and facilities (see VA to Reassess Contract, Proposals for Nationwide RTLS Deployments).

USER COMMENTS

Blaine Konow

2014-01-25 01:12:18 AM

R.F.I.D. Semiconductor tags in Firearms.
Military Benefits.
* You can be notified Firearms being moved in or outside the United States borders.
* They can be traced, by local law enforcement that will be alerted of the location.
* Boxes of Ammunition can also R.F.I.D. for automatic inventory.
* State of the art Technology, giving a "one up" on thieves.
* Up to date inventory and transfers of inventory.
* Up to date inventory in armory at all times.
* Electronic tracing and / or serialization.
* Proof of authenticity.
Facts.
* Militaries / Law enforcement agencies around the world are using this Technology.
* (Why not The U.S.A.?) 25% of weapons sold in America are not reported to A.T.F.
* Israel Military and Law enforcement use R.F.I.D. tags in types of weapons.
Civilian Benefits
* School / Library & Movie / massacres can be curtailed with automatic lock down when a weapon is brought in these areas.
* This Technology enables Police officers if they are walking up to an automobile with weapons.
* You can be notified Firearms being moved in or outside the United States borders.
* They can be traced, by local law enforcement that will be alerted of the location.
* State of the art Technology, giving a "one up" on thieves.
* Ownership can be transferred from seller to buyer.
* Can be used for marketing data collection.
* Electronic tracing and / or serialization.
* Proof of authenticity.
19 people die every day in the USA due to firearms related incidents.
11 teenager adults die everyday texting and driving accidents,
Stop School Shootings with R.F.I.D. Semiconductor tags in Firearms.
Kind regards,
Blaine L. Konow
Electronics: Patents
# 7004848 & # 7744483

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